Finance Directorate at Home Office

Finance Directorate at Home Office
SEO: £39,000 - £42,900
Permanent

Are you a finance professional looking for your next challenge? Do you have great communication skills? Are you looking to work for an organisation that helps to improve people’s lives? Then look no further, as the Home Office could be the place for you.

The Finance Directorate is one of the most dynamic and forward-looking places to work.  They provide professional finance advice and challenge which ensures that the Home Office delivers value for money to the taxpayer.

The team are recruiting a variety of exciting new positions within Strategic Finance Strategic & Risk, Accounting Operations, Finance Business Partnering, Fees & Income and Portfolio & Programme finance for dynamic and innovative people.

Salary & Grading

SEO: £39,000 - £42,900

Please note that new entrants to the Civil Service will be appointed at the pay scale minimum for that grade but an additional £4,000 allowance is applicable to SEO staff with a full CIMA or CCAB qualification.  The usual T&Cs apply for existing civil servants. 

Location:

Home Office can offer various locations:

• Sheffield - Millsands, Sheffield, S3 8NU (Vulcan House)
• Manchester - Soapworks, Colgate Lane, Salford, M5 3LZ (Soapworks)
• Liverpool - Shannon Court, 10 Princes Parade, Princes Dock,
• Liverpool, L3 1QY (The Capital) 
• Stoke – Smithfield, ST1 4FD (Smithfield Two)

Working Pattern – Full Time, Part Time, Flexible Working, Hybrid Working

Available vacancies within Finance Directorate:  

Finance Business Partners (FBP) 

These roles provide Finance Business partnering support to programmes and are based within the business.

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Building strong relationships with their directorate, understanding the business and explaining financial information for budget holders in an understandable manner.
• Play a key role in the financial business planning and in-year financial monitoring and forecasting of budgets and will work support and work closely with members of the management team, project staff and other enabling business partners.
• Aim to communicate financial data and other information clearly and provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support, strategic insight and business solutions.

  Accounting Operations -Corporate In-Year, Treasury Reporting 

The Accounting Operations Unit (AOU) is a consolidated function, with the over-arching objective of supporting the Accounting Officer, championing good governance, and providing assurance to key internal and external stakeholders that Home Office money is managed effectively.

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Producing financial and board reports, and ad hoc analysis of the ‘in year’ Home Office financial position, representing finance at departmental board level.
• Overseeing the main, monthly and quarterly budget setting windows and will be responsible for ensuring timetables and guidance is drafted and shared with key stakeholders ahead of each budget window opening.

Accounting Operations -Management Accounting  

Management Reporting SEOs are responsible for producing the monthly financial report to meet budget holder's needs. This role will provide the Finance function support to the Special Boats Operational Command (SBOC) within Border Force. SBOC was set up primarily to reduce or stop the number of people crossing the Channel and entering the UK illegally. It forms part of the Prime Ministers 10 point plan agenda and requires dedicated resource to work alongside the FBP in delivering very detailed robust and accurate financial information.

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• The SEO role will support the full Management Accounts service delivery to SBOC FBPs on a variety of tasks in particular delivering month end processes as well as ensuring forecasts and budgets are uploaded and accurate as well as providing detailed analysis on various issues within the business.
• They will also be responsible for providing insightful commentary and ensuring robust governance is in place and adhered to.
• The role will lead the management accounting activities of the month end cycle for SBOC including the approval of material journal adjustments and accruals along with key financial returns.

  Fees and Income Planning   

The Unit Costing Team within Fees and Income Planning is a friendly, cross-cutting team that is situated within the centre of Corporate & Delivery Finance Directorate, responsible for advising Ministers on fees policy implications, setting fees for new routes and products, and ensuring the department has a legal basis for the income that is generated.

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Advising Ministers on fees policy implications, setting fees for new routes and products, and ensuring the department has a legal basis for the income that is generated.
• We work in close collaboration with Finance Business partners, policy and legal colleagues from main operational commands and the wider Department, including Corporate & Delivery directorate and technology colleagues. 
• The Unit costing team is responsible for calculating new or reviewing existing unit costs that help support fee setting process for all chargeable services across the Border and Migration System, such as Visas, passports and fast tracked services and also to establish the activity unit costs for the non-chargeable activities such as Asylum, Passenger and Detention costs for financial and efficiency planning and reporting.

Programme & Portfolio Finance :

The PPF team sits within the Finance Directorate.

The team is responsible for ensuring finance is included in operational decision making across key Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes and other investment programmes & projects across Home Office.

The purpose of the team is to ensure that the programme teams deliver against plans, objectives, and outcomes. 

• The role is at the heart of financial decision making for the programme working closely with Operational & Programme, Commercial experts, Economists, and colleagues from the Analytical profession to provide clear and robust financial information.
• These roles involve working as part of a collaborative business partnering team.

Strategic Finance & Risk

The Strategic Finance & Risk team is a central finance function that combines finance with strategy within a political context and significant Ministerial interest.

• They lead the department’s relationship with HM Treasury and have the overarching objectives of securing the future funding requirements for the Home Office; ensuring resources are allocated to ministerial priorities; supporting the Department to achieve maximum value for money; delivering on an ambitious productivity and efficiency programme; and owning the department’s risk reporting and management processes.
• The team is comprised of finance professionals, as well as colleagues from operational backgrounds and strategy. This means that we benefit from a diverse skills-set.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Person Specification

Essential

• A proven track record of providing high quality financial analysis and advice across a wide range of complex business and financial issues. 
• Excellent stakeholder management and strong interpersonal skills, including experience of providing professional finance and corporate services to senior stakeholders and influencing business decisions.
• Ability to ensure plans and activities in your area of work reflect wider strategic priorities and communicate effectively with senior leaders to influence future strategies 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills which are tailored to the recipient 
• Strong organisational skills with experience of working in a fast-paced environment with a proven track record of delivering quality outputs to tight deadlines.
• Good coaching and leadership skills with the ability to effectively develop strong and collaborative relationships within own team and wider.  
• Experience of fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration between the business, finance and other corporate services  
• Excellent Excel skills and a strong rounded knowledge of IT and accounting packages

Desirable

• Qualifications: CCAB or CIMA qualified, part qualified or currently studying for one of these qualifications.
• Experience of working with Oracle financial systems. 

Benefits

The Home Office understands that excellent results can only be achieved by investing in and retaining the people who work for them. 

Apart from crunching the numbers that shape big decisions, they look after the interests of their staff. They invest in training and development to enhance skills and offer a good work-life balance to improve well-being and staff retention. As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy:

• Generous holiday allowance – 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day
• Civil Service Pension schemes – Contribute to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and in addition to your personal contribution, we’ll pay in a substantial contribution each month up to 27.9%
• A good work-life balance – family-friendly working options including flexible working arrangements.
• Hybrid working – 40% office-based working
• Career development and progression – on and off-site training courses and opportunities to gain qualifications and professional accreditations
• A strong ethos of diversity and inclusion

You will also have access to benefits such as:

• Season ticket and rental deposit loans
• Cycle to work and payroll giving
• Staff reward vouchers and support networks
• Up to 5 days’ paid volunteering leave
• Employee discounts with many retailers
• Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave up to 26 weeks’ full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid
• Maternity and adoption support leave (paternity leave) of 2 weeks’ full pay

Disability Confident Scheme  

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Therefore if a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

** Please note, clicking the application link, you will be directed to Civil Service Jobs whereby you can read through the full details regarding the various vacancies within the Finance Directorate at the Home Office. It is strongly advised you read through the advert thoroughly. **